Robert, I took a look at another walkthrough and it states that after the owl steals Lydia's diadem, you will automatically follow the owl and arrive at the Sanctuary. Then walk forward and Zak will find the diadem and pick it up, and then a ghost will appear. You will have a conversation with this ghost, which will provide a good bit of information and further objectives so that you can proceed with the game.

Hi Robert, here is what it says in a different walkthrough than the one you are using; this starts from where the owl steals the diadem (in this walkthrough, the diadem is called a circlet):

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Go down the stairs and across the footbridge where Winterowl swoops down and steals Lydia's circlet and then mysteriously disappears through a wall. The duo automatically follows to arrive at the Sanctuary, apart from the academy itself.

Go forward. Zak finds the circlet where Winterowl dropped it and a ghost appears! Wow! Zak was right. There is a ghost. This ghost needs help. Click on him and complete all conversation choices. The ghost is that of Grandmaster Nightingale.

hi Marian, i cross the footbridge to get to Nathaniel's office but no owl swoops down and i certainly don't get to the sanctuary. i am at the very top of the north tower. i must be missing something. robert.

Okay, according to the walkthrough that you are following, here is the sequence about the owl stealing the diadem:

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Go to the bridge between the north tower and the library. The owl will steal your diadem and whoooosh, flies directly into the wall (make a mental note of the exact spot where she vanished!). Follow her and meet the ghost of Nightingale, one of the founders of the Dragonvale Academy, in front of the holy hall (9). Ask every question.

So, apparently you need to follow the owl, and you will end up in front of the holy hall, where you speak to the ghost of Nightingale. If you have a saved game prior to the owl stealing the diadem that isn't too far back from where you are now, maybe you could try replaying the game before that pesky owl comes along and then try to follow the owl? Alternatively, you could try to go to the holy hall and see if the ghost is there.

And maybe someone else will come along who has some better suggestions.

Hi Robert, on the bottom left of your screen while in-game, you should see a map icon (it is represented by what looks like a compass or a plus sign). If you click on that, does it give you an idea of how to get from the North Tower (where you are) to the Library?

Scroll down the page until you see the heading of "Phase III: Find Nathaniel." Read through that section until you find yourself in the Art Classroom (the fourth paragraph down)and see if you are able to progress from there.

hi Marian, i am following Tally-ho's w/t. when he says 'use the portal to return to the library tower' after meeting Grandmaster Nightingale, does he mean before or after i use the portal to de-activate the protection spell and where do i go to de-activate it? the w/t says the watch tower but how exactly do i get there? the w/t doesn't specify. robert.

That's strange - the video works just fine for me. Sorry about that. Let me see if I can find other help for you at this point in the game.

EDIT: It seems that you leave the Sanctuary the same way you got in, which is through the blue portal, and you then arrive at the West Tower Skyway. To get to the Watchtower from the West Tower Skyway, you go around the balcony and back down the footbridge to the area with the red and yellow disks. Go to the right of the yellow disk. If necessary, wait again for completion of conversation between Lydia and Zak. Then, go to the floating ball, screen right. Click on it to hear Lydia deactivate the lock with the "Dragonus Enferenis" spell.

You can also refer to your in-game map to help you figure out how to get to these locations.